dialium guineense
{{Short description|Species of legume}}
{{Speciesbox
|image= Dialium guineense MS 10536.jpg
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|genus = Dialium
|species = guineense
|authority = Willd.{{cite POWO | title = Dialium guineense | id = 492316-1 | access-date = 22 April 2024}}
|synonyms =
{{Species list
| Codarium acutifolium | Afzel.
| Codarium discolor | DC.
| Codarium nitidum | Sol. ex Vahl
| Codarium obtusifolium | Afzel.
| Codarium solanderi | Vahl
| Dialium anomalum | Webb
| Dialium discolor | Hook.f.
| Dialium nitidum | (Sol. ex Vahl) Guill. & Perr.
}}
}}
Dialium guineense, the velvet tamarind,{{cite web | title = Dialium guineense | url = https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/DJAGU | publisher = European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) | access-date = 22 April 2024}} is a tall, tropical, fruit-bearing tree in the family Fabaceae. It has small, typically grape-sized, edible fruits with brown, hard, inedible shells.
Distribution and habitat
Dialium guineense is native to West Africa, from Senegal east to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It grows in dense forests along the southern edge of the Sahel.
Uses
The bark and leaves have medicinal properties and are used against several diseases.{{citation needed| date=April 2021}}
=Fruit=
Each fruit typically has one hard, flat, round, brown seed, typically 7-8 millimeters across and 3 millimeters thick. The seed somewhat resembles a watermelon seed (Citrullus lanatus). Some have two seeds. The seeds are shiny, coated with a thin layer of starch.
The pulp is edible and may be eaten raw or soaked in water and consumed as a beverage. The bitter leaves are ingredients in a Ghanaian dish called domoda.
=Timber=
Wood is hard and heavy and used for construction. The wood is also used for firewood and charcoal production
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20131114014409/http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/Sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=673 World Agroforestry]
- {{AfricanPlants|Dialium guineense}}
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3489570}}
Category:Fruits originating in Africa
Category:Flora of West Tropical Africa
Category:Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa